Local
organizations are increasingly proposed as an alternative to the traditional
model of agriculture extension in many sub-Saharan African countries. However,
information on the characteristics of organizations that are important for technology
adoption is limited. We analyze the characteristics of organizations and how
each affects the technology adoption among Ugandan farmers. A factor analysis is
used to cluster the observed features of organizations into fewer factors that represent
major dimensions of organizations. Hypotheses are tested based on a

The vast majority of the bananas currently grown and consumed were not conventionally bred but are selections made over probably thousands of years from naturally occurring hybrids. Cultivated bananas are very nearly sterile and as a consequence are not propagated from seed but rather through vegetative propagation, primarily suckers as well as more recently micropropagated or tissue cultured bananas. These factors, very old selections, near sterility and vegetative propagation, mean that these bananas have not been genetically improved either for resistance or improved quality and are becoming increasing in affected by serious pests and diseases.